You know that thing called "morbid curiosity"? Ever wanted to satisfy it once and for all? This is how.

The plot centers around "mushi" (tl note: mushi means bug) which are basically these little half-Pokemon half-tentacle monster type critters who lay their eggs inside human women. Much of the time, surprisingly, this means typical shonen-style action plot. The story is actually quite enjoyable since all of the common pitfalls (plot holes, character breaks, slow pacing, predictability) are consistently avoided in the lion's share of the scenario. Add in the protagonist's unusual and sometimes genuinely touching relationship with her mushi and you have a surprisingly fun page-turner (or mouse-clicker I guess). Unfortunately, the good endings weren't much more satisfying than the bad ones, and one or two reveals right at the end of the game are in fact very predictable.

A big reason why this game works as well as it does is the complex route system, based around a series of charts showing you the paths between different scenes. This allows you to see exactly how much you're missing, and sometimes even get a feel for what happens on the alternate routes. Considering the game is also trying to cater to deviant nukige fans, this feature is a lot more useful than you might think.

Now that part I've been glossing over. This game contains some of the most disturbing sexual content I have ever fathomed, much less actually read. Once in a while it goes so far beyond what you thought the human body was capable of finding sensual that you forget what "disgusting" feels like. As one would expect from Black Cyc, the production values in these scenes are downright exceptional. And strangely, the plot succeeds at justifying all of the unavoidable ones, along with a fair portion of the optional ones. The rest are all firmly entrenched in side routes and bad ends, and thus don't harm the fun of the story at all. Whether they're actually a plus is hard to say, but they're certainly unforgettable.

Score: 7.5

Polarization: (+0.5/-1) Low

Assuming the presence of plot-critical tentacle rape isn't a deal breaker for you--which for many I'm sure it is--then it mostly comes down to whether the best aspects of the story bore or fascinate you.

Routes/Endings Played: 72% overall completion, with at least one ending completed in all eight arcs. According to this walkthrough, I got endings 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, 22, 31, and 32 out of 32.

Just curious, but have you played Mushitsukai, Extravaganza’s prequel? It focuses primarily on Ren and Miyaka and does tie in quite well with the third and final part of the story.
Also if you want a challenging final boss, look no further than that game.

Anything I have played is on this blog, so no the only Black Cyc games I’ve played are Ex and GSS. I probably will not play any more games by that company, since this score makes it all but certain that nothing by Black Cyc will ever achieve an 8.